Shashuka is a classic middle eastern breakfast dish. It’s warming, satisfying yet surprisingly light, and importantly – cheap! This recipe is a take on the traditional meal, with a few added vegetables and spices, to show that you really can use anything going spare in your kitchen to create something delicious!
With little carbs and natural, healthy fats from eggs, there’s also plenty of vitamins both C and A, iron, potassium, and notable amounts of protein and manganese. It’s quick to make, and is traditionally served with bread to mop up the juicy tomato sauce. If you don’t love bread (or more accurately if we’re being honest – if bread doesn’t seem to love you), then you can swap it for these chickpea flatbreads, these raw crackers, or this butternut squash ‘toast’ (which can also be swapped for sweet potato).
Superfood and Supersaving
Not everyone is able to afford maca, bee pollen, powdered super greens, a dehydrator, vitamix, or any of the other superfoods and appliances that seem to be essential for a healthy life…. So, what do you do if you want to live well on a budget? You get cooking, you get smart in the kitchen, and you learn that actually, there are an abundance of meals and snacks you can make that are totally affordable. As I’m currently in the process of moving out of my family home (full of maca, bee pollen, a dehydrator and as many superfood powders as you could wish for), it’s time to get real and create dishes that require minimal cash and maximum nutrition.
If you’re accustomed to using expensive ingredients, then perhaps spend a week going back to basics and cooking simple, whole, real foods in their original form.Broccoli, spinach, kale, asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, avocado, spices like turmeric, ginger and cinnamon, and dark coloured berries are all natural superfoods that can be found inexpensively in your local supermarket.
An original shashuka recipe would call for merely chopped tomatoes, spices and eggs, however the additional ingredients here enable the recipe to become a full on meal, so it’ll keep you full, satisfied and energised for hours!
Ingredients
Serves 2-4
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 2 celery stalks, chopped into small pieces
- 1 clove finely chopped garlic
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 red yellow bell pepper
- 1 bag fresh spinach
- 1/2 can cannelini beans
- 4 eggs
How To
Heat the oil in a large pan, or iron skillet
Add the mustard seeds, chopped celery and garlic, and saute for a few minutes
Add the pepper and half the spinach, until the pepper is soft and the spinach is wilted
Add the chopped tomatoes and cannelini beans, and cover. Simmer for a few minutes until it’s all steadily bubbling away.
Add the handful of spinach and cook covered again until wilted
Make four dips in the mixture to ‘hold’ the eggs
Crack in the eggs into the dips, and cover again. Cook for 5-6 minutes for soft, runny eggs, and longer for a firmer texture
When you’re ready to serve, uncover, sprinkle with parsley, and add to the table so everyone can help themselves! Serve with bread or any of the alternatives mentioned above, or a big green salad to keep things light.
For extra anti inflammatory and healthy cell renewing benefits, add 1/2 a tsp of turmeric and black pepper over the eggs – the healthy fats allow the nutrients of turmeric to be absorbed even more!
(If you’re making this recipe for yourself, simply halve of quarter the ingredients depending upon ow hungry you are, and eat it straight from the pan!)
Enjoy!
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